YOUNGSTERS often say Felixstowe is "dull and boring" – but those taking part in a new youth theatre project are not complaining at all.The group based at Orwell High School have delved back into the resort's past to discover another more interesting side to the town and the life of its people, and are set to tell its story in a new way.

YOUNGSTERS often say Felixstowe is "dull and boring" – but those taking part in a new youth theatre project are not complaining at all.

The group based at Orwell High School have delved back into the resort's past to discover another more interesting side to the town and the life of its people, and are set to tell its story in a new way.

Their play Ripples in Time follows Butch, a young, disenchanted character from the 21st century who thinks Felixstowe is a dull and boring place.

He falls off the pier and is transported back in time to discover that this is far from true – leading him to rethink his own life.

The play has been specially written by playwright Jenny Webb, who has worked with the youngsters and members of the community on the project, which was inspired by the suggestion that "nothing ever happens in Felixstowe".

The idea stemmed from drama work done with a Year Nine group which involved a disaffected character who fell off the pier and went back in time.

A professional musician and professional dancer have been attending rehearsals and nearly 50 students are involved in the production, which has received a lottery grant as part of the Orwell Spirits community youth project.

Those involved with the play say the performances promise to be spectacular with a great variety of set pieces and characters describing and re-enacting Felixstowe's history in a vibrant and riveting way.

There will be evening performances on Thursday , Friday and Saturday , with a special matinee performance on Saturday especially for families and senior citizens.

Tickets are on sale now and can be obtained from the school – 01394 288131 (direct line) or from reception.

The play is an ambitious, complex and thought-provoking journey in time which goes back to the days when Colonel George Tomline brought the railway and smart hotels to Felixstowe.

It moves through the suffragette movement and the burning of the Bath Hotel, focussing on the arrest of the two woman arsonists and using scenes from the transcript of their trial.

Butch's journey then passes through the First World War with memories of servicemen from the town, some of whom never came back but their diaries did. Then it's days on the beach between the wars and the life and times of the evacuees during the Second World War.

Butch looks on, fascinated by what he sees and is forced to take another look at his own life and attitudes, particularly as time moves forward again to the 1953 floods and the death and devastation caused in the town.